Mustafa Muhammad Abu Ara, a senior Hamas leader in the West Bank, has died while in Israeli custody, according to statements from Palestinian authorities and the militant group on Friday.
The 63-year-old Abu Ara died after being transferred from a southern Israeli prison to a hospital. This was confirmed by a joint statement from the Palestinian Authority’s prisoners’ affairs body and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club watchdog.
Hamas has expressed grief over Abu Ara’s death, accusing the Israeli authorities of “assassinating” him through deliberate medical neglect.
Abu Ara was arrested in October while already suffering from serious health problems. Palestinian prisoners’ organizations have claimed that he endured torture and starvation while detained.
The Israeli military has not yet commented on the incident.
This event occurs amid rising tensions, with Palestinian authorities recently alleging that Israel is waging an abusive “war of revenge” against Palestinian detainees since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict. In response, the Israeli military has rejected these allegations, asserting that it operates in accordance with international law and does not engage in systematic abuse of detainees.
(leadership)